Eric Ripert Not So Happy With New ‘Bernardin’ Restaurant in North Carolina

They don't call him the Ripper for nothing, you know.Photo: Courtesy Eric Ripert

Don’t be fooled by his recent placid hammock naps and sunset beach walks — Eric Ripert seems more than a little curious about a soon-to-open restaurant in North Carolina called Bernardin. On Twitter, the Ripper is wondering aloud what kind of “house warming present” he might send to the unaffiliated restaurant, as well as offering a free dinner to the person who provides the first snapshot of the new restaurant.

The similar names don’t sound like a mere coincidence, but as if channeling the famous McDowell’s scene in Coming to America, Freddy Lee (who says he worked at Le Bernardin in the eighties), is downright incredulous. He tells the Charlotte Observer that his restaurant is completely different! It’s not even pronounced the same as Le Bernardin, he’ll have you know. “I pronounce it ‘ber-NAR-dins,’” he says, presumably while trying to keep a straight face.